The Top 6 Benefits of Site Documentation

Author:
Nicole Heger
January 13, 2020

If you’re looking for a simple way to improve your work life, here’s a suggestion: dial in your site documentation. Documentation delivers countless benefits that can make every aspect of your projects — from the initial bid to the ribbon-cutting — easier, all while helping you deliver a wow-worthy product to your customers.

Why are we so convinced improving site documentation should be on your list of workplace resolutions? Here are six significant ways documentation can support your business’s success.

Reduce rework

Having to do work over again costs your projects time and money. With documentation, you can significantly reduce the amount of rework. As Austin DiAntonio, a Project Engineer at Corna Kokosing, shared:

“We [used StructionSite] to help solve issues/conflicts in the field. For instance, after we finished the project, we had to add a drain line for a piece of medical equipment in a lab area. We needed to see exactly where the drain line behind a piece of casework was, so we just simply looked at the 360 photo taken of the area after the plumbing rough-in was completed and could pinpoint the exact location of the drain pipe.”

Your documentation gives you the information you need to confirm what’s already been done so you can move your project forward without needing to take any steps back. 

Create transparency for all involved parties

From subs to owners, every construction project has a variety of stakeholders involved, all with different priorities. And when those differences are exacerbated by geographical distance, as was the case on a recent Korsmo Construction project, aligning schedules and expectations can be challenging. As Evan Haines, Project Engineer, explains, “Subcontractors should join StructionSite so they always know the current status of construction.” Comprehensive documentation gives everyone involved a clear view of the progress to date. 

Minimize risk

With thorough site documentation, it’s easy to get an overview of current and planned work. This allows you to monitor the safety of the jobsite, identifying risks as—or even before—they arise so you can address them quickly, keeping your team safe. 

For Stiles Construction, a Florida-based company that has to contend with hurricane season, this site monitoring helps them minimize risk in another notable way. With comprehensive documentation, filing an insurance claim based on the project’s progress up to the point of the claim is made simple. As their recent case study explains, “The [Stiles Construction] team was able to go out and get site photos in a short time before the storm hit. If damage occurred, they could take photos right after the storm to show exactly what was lost to the insurance provider.” 

Eliminate time-wasters

How much time do you spend visiting the jobsite to check on a small detail or submitting and responding to RFIs? With documentation, you can clear those time-wasters from your schedule. Monica Chhatwani, LEED AP BD +C for DPR Construction, talked with StructionSite about how documentation eliminates excess work. The resulting case study explains, “Chhatwani is clear that the robust documentation with tagged photo timelines really improved communication between all trades on the site as well as removing the waste of needless field visits or information requests to see what was behind the walls.” Join teams like DPR Construction in freeing up more of your day for more important work. 

Wow prospects and owners

Owners want to know that you’ll do due diligence. If you can prove to them that you already have a process in place to do exactly that, you’re more likely to land their business in the first place, as Choate Construction experienced. In a recent case study, Choate told StructionSite the use of their software helped them impress the owner of a project they were bidding. The case study explains, “In a project interview walk-through, Choate was able to take photos and seamlessly integrate them to show off the workflow, adding just one more reason for the owner to go with Choate.”

What’s more, once you break ground, documentation helps you keep owners happy by giving them easy access to photos that can serve as status updates. DPR Construction, for example, uses documentation to provide stakeholders with improved project understanding at every turn. 

Plan ahead—even for the unknown

No construction project ever gets completed without unforeseen issues. It’s part of the job. Fortunately, when you have documentation processes in place, dealing with those issues is a lot easier. Documentation gives you the context-based information you need to locate, assess and diagnose your issue. It gives you a way to see what might have been missed, ensuring you can address the unexpected quickly, accurately and effectively. As Tim Watson, Virtual Construction Manager at Choate Construction, explains, “[StructionSite] is like X-ray vision to see where things are behind the walls.” 

All told, site documentation helps your company land new projects, then handle each and every one of them with the excellence for which you want to be known—no matter what issues crop up. Put documentation processes in place and start reaping these benefits on your jobsites. 

Interested in trying out StructionSite’s site documentation tools for your own projects? Start a free trial today.

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